Thermal Protection of Undocumented

AC Motors

Ed Lebenhaft and Mark Zeller

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.

Revised edition released November 2008

Originally presented at the

55th Annual Petroleum and Chemical Industry Technical Conference, September 2008
 THERMAL PROTECTION OF UNDOCUMENTED AC MOTORS
Copyright Material IEEE

Ed Lebenhaft, P.E. Mark Zeller

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. Member, IEEE
2350 NE Hopkins Court Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
Pullman, WA 99163, USA 2350 NE Hopkins Court
[email protected] Pullman, WA 99163, USA
[email protected]

Abstract—This paper proposes a two-step procedure to Two assumptions are included in the basic premise of this
estimate key motor parameters for ac motors with missing paper. First, the authors are assuming that the motor is sized
manufacturer’s motor specifications. Often users do not properly for the specific application. Second, they assume the
possess the motor specifications needed to provide optimal starter and cable(s) are sized to carry the needed current as
motor performance and protection. The manufacturer may well as safely start the motor without excessive voltage drop.
never have supplied motor information, or the documentation
may have been lost. This method provides motor users with a III. IMPORTANT MOTOR PARAMETERS
way to estimate the lost or missing information. (RATED VOLTAGE)
Index Terms—thermal protection, motor protection, ac The motor voltage rating has a direct impact on the proper
motors. protection of a motor. When starting, reduced bus voltage
causes reduced starting torque, potentially resulting in a
I. INTRODUCTION stalled rotor. When running, reduced bus voltage causes an
increase in motor current, potentially resulting in an overload.
Digital motor protection relays offer the user numerous
Set the voltage to the rated system voltage, and set the
advantages:
undervoltage trip to 80 percent of rated voltage. This setting
• Precise protection will allow the motor to start and still provide motor protection if
• Accurate metering the system cannot maintain voltage and support motor current
• Detailed starting and event reports demand.
• Historical data concerning the power system
• Historical data concerning the protected equipment IV. IMPORTANT MOTOR PARAMETERS
• Communications to an external computer (CURRENT UNBALANCE)
To achieve these advantages, the relays require key motor A properly operating induction motor should have balanced
data to customize them for the specific power system and three-phase current. Unbalance in motor currents, caused by
motor application. Unfortunately, in the real industrial world, supply voltage unbalance, creates excessive heating in the
motor manufacturer’s data are not always available. rotor. Set the current unbalance to 24 percent with a
This paper proposes a way to overcome this lack of data 30-second delay. We also recommend setting the unbalance
by initially setting the relay using conservative settings based alarm at 12 percent with a 30-second delay.
on practical field experience and then refining them using Keep in mind that 1 percent voltage unbalance causes
motor historical data collected by the digital motor relay. approximately 6 percent current unbalance in motors.

II. MOTOR NAMEPLATE INFORMATION V. NEMA MOTOR DESIGN CLASSES

For the safe operation of any ac motor, a certain amount of The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
information is necessary. The National Electric Code requires has developed specifications for so-called NEMA Design A, B,
specific information be included on a motor nameplate. This C, and D motor types [1]. These designs are based on
information includes the manufacturer, rated voltage, full-load standardizing certain motor characteristics, such as starting
current, frequency, phase, rpm, temperature rise or insulation current, slip, and specified torque points (Fig. 1).
class and ambient temperature, duty rating, rated horsepower, • Design A has normal starting torque (typically 150 to
and locked-rotor design letter. Additional information typically 170 percent of rated) and relatively high starting
includes service factor, enclosure type, connection diagrams, current. Breakdown torque is the highest of all NEMA
frame size, and other information specific to the motor. types. It can handle heavy overloads for a short
However, nameplates do not display all the information duration. Slip is ≤ 5 percent. A typical application is
needed to set a digital motor protection relay. Commissioning powering of injection-molding machines.
a motor without this data is not a “by the numbers” protection • Design B is the most numerous type of ac induction
setting scenario. Even without a complete set of data, which is motor sold. It has normal starting torque, similar to
only available from the motor specifications, the following Design A, but offers low starting current. Locked-rotor
procedure can provide adequate protection for most ac torque is sufficient to start many loads encountered in
motors. industrial applications. Slip is ≤ 5 percent. Motor

1
 efficiency and full-load power factor are comparatively VI. CRITICAL MOTOR PARAMETERS FOR THE
high, contributing to the popularity of the design. STARTING ELEMENT (ROTOR PROTECTION)
Typical applications include pumps, fans, and Two parameters are required for the safe and correct
machine tools. protection of an ac motor during starting:
• Design C has high starting torque (greater than the • Motor locked-rotor current (LRA)
previous two designs, around 200 percent), useful for
• Safe stall time for above LRA (Tstall)
driving heavy breakaway loads. These motors are
Neither is a nameplate quantity, yet both are critical to
intended for operation near full speed without great
starting, which is the most stressful and dangerous motor
overloads. Starting current is low. Slip is ≤ 5 percent. condition.
• Design D has high starting torque (highest of all the
NEMA motor types). The starting current and full-load VII. HOW TO SET STARTING ELEMENT WITHOUT
speed are low. High slip values (5 to 13 percent) MANUFACTURER’S CRITICAL PARAMETERS
make this motor suitable for applications with
Settings are achieved in two iterations.
changing loads and attendant sharp changes in motor
speed, such as in machinery with flywheel energy A. Iteration 1
storage. Several design subclasses cover the wide For induction motors, set LRA = 6.0 • FLA and Tstall = 10 s.
slip range. This motor type is usually considered a For synchronous motors, set LRA = 4.0 • FLA and
“special order” item. Tstall = 5.0 s.
Typically, the NEMA design designation is a nameplate After the initial start process, shut down the motor and
quantity. Using the information provided by NEMA on motor review the motor start report (MSR) within the digital relay.
design and expected torque, we can derive a reasonable Check the inrush current, voltage dip, and time to start.
starting point for motor protection. Confirm that the protection settings used in this first iteration
Although Design A and Design B motors are similar, they are reasonably close to the actual values recorded in the
have some significant differences. The most commonplace of motor start report. See the motor starting information as
all models, the Design B motors, must comply with certain presented in either statistical or graphical format (Fig. 2 and
specifications in NEMA Standard MG1. These specifications Fig. 3).
limit the design to no more than 5 percent slip and place
minimum limits on torque during starting and acceleration. B. Iteration 2
The standards also define a maximum allowable locked-rotor After confirming the initial settings and adjusting as
current, also known as starting current. The Design A needed, continue the commissioning process. Start the motor
specification is identical except the motors are not limited to several times to give the relay a chance to capture the starts
any maximum locked-rotor current. in the MSR. Allow cooling time between starts.
=>MSR 1 <Enter>

XXX-XXX Date: 01/14/2007 Time: 11:34:17.794

MOTOR RELAY Time Source: internal

FID=XXX-XXX-R200-V0-Z001001-D20031210

Date of Motor Start 01/14/2007

Time of Motor Start 11:21:54.298
Number of Starts 1
Start Time (s) 4.6
Start %TCU 40
Max Start I (A) 403
Min Start V (V) 3920
Cycle, IA (A), IB (A), IC (A), IN (A), VAB (V), VBC (V), VCA (V), %TCU

5.00, 406,404,403,0,3922,3963,3908,16.6 … … …
10.00,404,406,404,0,3925,3922,3929,16.6… … …
Fig. 1 Torque Is Proportional to the Square of Motor Current,
Q = (I2R)/S 30.00,386,387,386,0,3930,3937,3933,20.2 … … …
•
NEMA design codes for motors specify the range of kVA •
per horsepower as measured at motor rated voltage and rated •
frequency. For example, Code G has the range of 5.6 to 6.3 Fig. 2 Example of Numerical Motor Start Report (Partial)
kVA/HP.

2
 Fig. 3 Example of Graphical Motor Start Report

After starting, the relay will capture data, which include the After five successful starts, review the motor statistics
currents, voltages, and percent thermal capacity used at report (Fig. 4), and use this data to adjust the protection
prespecified intervals. The data are stored in nonvolatile settings if needed.
memory.
=>>MOT <Enter>
After starting the motor several times, access the relay
using a laptop computer, and review the MSRs. XXX-XXX Date: 01/14/2007 Time: 11:35:03.024
Note the 5 cycle currents. The average of the three-phase MOTOR RELAY Time Source: external
current divided by motor FLA is the actual LRA of this motor. Operating History (elapsed time in ddd:hh:mm) Since: 01/12/2007 11:21:54
Replace the previously estimated quantity with this actual Running Time 39:07:41

number. Stopped Time 9:06:17

Next, note the motor start time. Average it by adding the Time Running 81.1%
Number Of Starts 2
times and dividing by the number of MSRs used. Add
Number Of Emergency Starts 0
3 seconds to the start time for induction motors and 2 seconds
Average Peak
for synchronous motors. This is your new Tstall. Replace the
Start Time (s) 4.5 4.7
previous value with your calculated Tstall. Max Start I (A) 405 411
In summary, the permanent critical starting element Min Start V (V) 3925 3920
parameters for this motor are: Start % TCU 40.9 43.5

LRA = (IA + IB + IC)/(3 • FLA) Running % TCU 91.9 94.8

•
Tstall = average start time + 3 s for induction motors •
Tstall = average start time + 2 s for synchronous motors •

Fig. 4 Example of Motor Operating Statistics Report (Partial)

3
 VIII. CRITICAL MOTOR PARAMETERS FOR THE The motor start report is shown in Fig. 2. The actual motor
RUNNING ELEMENT (STATOR PROTECTION) acceleration time was approximately 4.6 seconds, and, as
Three motor parameters are required for the safe and expected with a programmed 10-second safe hot locked-rotor
correct protection of an ac motor while running: time, the starting thermal capacity used was low, about
41 percent.
• Full-load current (FLA)
The recorded locked-rotor current was 403 A (5.7 • FLA).
• Service factor (SF) Using this information, relay settings were modified to
• Thermal running time constant τth (RTC) tighten the thermal protection for the motor. The final settings
Of the three, only RTC is not a nameplate quantity. are shown in TABLE II.
TABLE II
IX. HOW TO SET RUNNING ELEMENT WITHOUT
CONDENSATE EXTRACTION PUMP MOTOR FINAL SETTINGS
MANUFACTURER’S CRITICAL PARAMETERS
Set full-load current exactly as it appears on the Setting Final Value
nameplate. FLA 71 A
If the motor has an SF of 1.0, set the relay at 1.01. If bus
LRA 5.7 • FLA
voltage fluctuations are a concern, this number can be
increased to as high as 1.05 to compensate for increased SF 1.01
current during reduced voltage conditions.
Hot Locked-Rotor Time 8s
If the motor has an SF higher than 1.0 (1.15, 1.25, etc.),
set it at that number. Do not compensate for possible reduced Undervoltage Trip 80% of Nominal
voltage conditions. Current Unbalance Trip 24%
To set the RTC, if the relay has an AUTO mode, set RTC =
AUTO. If AUTO mode is not available, set RTC = 20 minutes.
XI. PROTECTING THE MOTOR—AN OVERVIEW OF THE
X. EXAMPLE: 400 HP PUMP MOTOR FIRST ORDER THERMAL MODEL [2] [3]

The example motor is a 400 HP condensate extraction Fig. 5 illustrates the first order thermal model. The major
pump. Although this was a new motor installation, the motor components of the model are as follows:
manufacturer did not provide motor thermal limit curves. The • Heat source: heat flow from the source is I2r watts
only data available for this motor were taken from the motor (J/s).
nameplate. The nameplate data needed to set the protection • Thermal capacitance (Cth): represents a motor that
were: has the capacity (Cth) to absorb heat from the heat
• Rated-load amperes = 71 A source. Unit of thermal capacitance is J/°C.
• Locked-rotor kVA code letter = G • Thermal resistance (Rth): represents the heat
• Service factor = 1.0 dissipated by a motor to its surroundings. Unit of
thermal resistance is °C/W.
• Time rating = continuous
• System temperature is U (°C).
• RPM at rated load (rated speed) = 1189 rpm
• Comparator: compares the calculated motor per unit
• Voltage = 4160 V
(pu) temperature with a preset value based on the
The initial thermal model settings for the relay are
motor manufacturer’s data.
summarized in TABLE I.
Utrip –
TABLE I TRIP
CONDENSATE EXTRACTION PUMP MOTOR INITIAL U +

RELAY SETTINGS

Setting Initial Value Heat Source Cth Rth

FLA 71 A I2 • r

LRA 6 • FLA
Motor Heat
SF 1.01 Dissipation
Hot Locked-Rotor Time 10 s Fig. 5 First Order Thermal Model
Undervoltage Trip 80% of Nominal Qualitative analysis of this model states that heat produced
Current Unbalance Trip 24% by the heat source is transferred to the motor, which
dissipates the heat to the surrounding environment.

4
 Quantitative analysis is defined by a first order linear Comparing this maximum permissible temperature of
differential equation similar to a parallel RC electrical circuit 2
ILRA • TSTALL with a measured temperature I2 • t during a start:
and is:
dU U I2 • t = ILRA
2
• TSTALL
I2r = Cth • + (W) (1)
dt R th
Solving for t results in a curve of maximum allowable rotor
Motors are comprised of two major components—stator temperature for any current I > 2.5 FLA. Thus, t is the tripping
and rotor. time ttrip :
The stator’s function is to produce a rotating magnetic field
2
(at line frequency) in the air gap and induce voltage in the ILRA
t trip = • TSTALL (5)
rotor bars that produces current flow in those bars. I2
Rotor current produces a magnetic field of its own. The
rotor magnetic field is at 90 degrees to the air-gap magnetic Incorporating all of the above changes to Fig. 5 results in
field, thus generating torque tangential to the rotor surface the starting element of the first order thermal model as
and producing rotational force, which turns the shaft. illustrated in Fig. 6.
Because the construction of the stator and rotor is different, 2
ILRA • TSTALL –
so is their thermal characteristic. To accommodate this major TRIP
U +
difference in stator and rotor thermal properties, the first order
thermal model was refined into the following two elements:
• Starting element, which protects the rotor during the
Heat Source Cth R th = ∞
starting sequence.
I2 • r
• Running element, which protects the stator when the
motor is up to speed and running.
Tripping of the motor switches from one element to the
Fig. 6 Starting Element
other at 2.5 times the rated full-load current of the motor.
XIII. APPLYING FIRST ORDER THERMAL MODEL TO
XII. APPLYING FIRST ORDER THERMAL MODEL TO RUNNING MOTOR (STATOR PROTECTION)
MOTOR STARTING (ROTOR PROTECTION)
Once the motor reaches full speed, the current decreases,
It is widely accepted that the starting sequence of an ac
and the motor is in the running state, the first order thermal
motor is regarded as an adiabatic (lossless) process. Starting model switches tripping from the starting element to the
deposits an immense amount of heat (up to a hundred times
running element.
the rated heating) in rotor bars, while the duration of the
Equation (1) and Fig. 5 apply to the running element.
starting sequence is magnitudes shorter than motor thermal Equation (1) is a first order linear differential equation.
time constants. Thus, any heat deposited in the rotor will not
Rearranging, converting to pu, and solving the equation yields
dissipate to the surroundings during the starting sequence. (It the following solution:
will dissipate later when the motor is up to speed and
running.) –
t ⎛ –
t ⎞
Applying this assumption to the first order thermal model U(t ) = I02 • e τ th
+ I2 • ⎜⎜1 – e τ th ⎟
⎟ (pu °C) (6)
depicted in Fig. 5, we are effectively saying that the thermal ⎝ ⎠
resistance of the motor during starting is infinity (R = ∞).
Substituting this condition into (1) and converting it into pu where:
quantities by substituting r = Cth = 1 yields: U(t) = pu temperature as a function of time
I0 = pu initial current (when overload occurs)
dU = I2 • dt (pu °C) (2)
I = pu overload current
The solution to this general integral is: τth = motor RTC (thermal running time constant)
2
U=I • t (pu °C) (3) A more useful presentation of (6) to motor relay engineers
is the time (t) in which the running element will reach
Motor manufacturers supply rotor thermal limit information temperature U(t).
as part of motor data. The rotor thermal limit is expressed in Rewriting (6) yields:
terms of the maximum time (TSTALL) that corresponding
locked-rotor current (ILRA) can be applied to a motor. ⎡ I2 – I02 ⎤
t = τth • ln⎢ 2 ⎥ (s) (7)
Applying this to (3): ⎣⎢ I – U(t ) ⎦⎥
I = ILRA (pu locked-rotor amperes)
In plain language, (7) states that the time it takes to reach
t = TSTALL (safe stall time, seconds) U(t) is calculated by multiplying the motor RTC by the natural
logarithm of the difference between final pu temperature and
2
Utrip = ILRA • TSTALL (pu °C) (4) initial pu temperature, divided by the difference between final
pu temperature and the pu temperature at time t.

5
 Two important reminders are: 104
• The base for this pu system is motor full-load current. Running Element
Cold Curve ⎡ I2 − I20 ⎤
• A valid range for U(t) is between initial pu temperature t trip = RTC • ln⎢ 2 2⎥
2 I0 = 0.3 RTC = 20 min ⎣I − SF ⎦
I02 and final pu temperature I .

Time to Trip (seconds)

SF = 1.01
Let us further simplify (7) to make it more suitable for motor 103
protection applications. Tstall = 10 s
Manufacturers state the SF of the machine on every motor ILRA = 6 pu
Starting Element
nameplate. Even though the exact interpretation of the SF is
vague, one thing is certain—any motor current greater than 2
ILRA
SF • FLA is considered a running overload condition. 102 t trip =
I2
• Tstall

Translate this into Utrip, a maximum pu temperature that the

Hot Curve
motor is designed for and can sustain: I0 = 0.9 • SF

U(t ) = Utrip = (SF • IFLA )

2
(pu °C) (8) 10
1 Multiples of FLA 10
Because IFLA = 1 pu, the above expression is further
simplified to: Fig. 8 Thermal Model Response Curve

Utrip = SF2 (pu °C) (9) XIV. CONCLUSION

There is no doubt that the best motor protection is
Substituting (9) into (7) results in the final equation of the achieved using the motor manufacturer’s data. However,
first order thermal model running element. It represents the using reasonable initial conditions and then refining them with
maximum time a motor can spend under an overload historical data captured by the relay, good motor protection
condition, thus t = ttrip . can be achieved while avoiding premature process
⎡ I2 – I02 ⎤ interruptions.
t trip = τth • ln⎢ 2 2⎥
(s) (10)
⎣⎢ I – SF ⎦⎥ XV. REFERENCES
The running element of the thermal model is shown in [1] NEMA, Motors and Generators, National Electrical
Fig. 7. Manufacturers Association Standard MG-1-1998, New
York, 1998.
SF2 –
TRIP [2] S. E. Zocholl, “Tutorial: From the Steinmetz Model to the
U +
Protection of High Inertia Drives,” proceedings of the 33rd
Annual Western Protective Relay Conference, Spokane,
WA, October 2006.
Heat Source Cth Rth [3] S. E. Zocholl, AC Motor Protection, Schweitzer
I2 • r
Engineering Laboratories, Inc., pp. 6–21, 2004.

Motor Heat XVI. FURTHER READING

Dissipation
S. E. Zocholl, E. O. Schweitzer, and A. Aliaga-Zegarra,
Fig. 7 Running Element “Thermal Protection of Induction Motors Enhanced by
Interactive Electrical and Thermal Models,” IEEE
Combining the starting and running trip times on one graph
Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, vol.
(Fig. 8) illustrates a typical response curve of the first order
PAS-103, No. 7, July 1983.
thermal model.
S. E. Zocholl and G. Benmouyal, “On the Protection of
Thermal Processes,” IEEE Transactions on Power
Delivery, vol. 20, issue 2, pp. 1240–1246, April 2005.
IEEE Guide for the Presentation of Thermal Limit Curves
for Squirrel Cage Induction Motors, IEEE Standard 620-
1996.

6
 XVII. VITAE
Edward A. Lebenhaft received his B.A.Sc. in Electrical
Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1972. He spent
18 years with Ontario Hydro constructing and designing
nuclear power plants. In the following 14 years, Ed was a
regional manager for Multilin (eventually to be bought out by
GE). After a brief retirement, Ed joined Schweitzer
Engineering Laboratories, Inc. in October 2004, where he is
currently a field application engineer dealing with motor
protection. Ed is a registered Professional Engineer in South
Carolina.

Mark Zeller received his B.S. from the University of Idaho in

1985. He has broad experience in industrial power system
maintenance, operations, and protection. Upon graduating, he
worked over 15 years in the pulp and paper industry, where
he worked in engineering and maintenance with responsibility
for power system protection and engineering. Prior to joining
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. in 2003, he was
employed by Fluor to provide engineering and consulting
services for Alcoa. He has been a member of IEEE since
1985.

Previously presented at the 55th Annual Petroleum and Chemical

Industry Technical Conference, Cincinnati, OH, September 2008.
© 2008 IEEE – All rights reserved.
20081105 • TP6312